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43 indicating that the screen is almost as important an interface as the steering wheel: "We shrunk the screen. The screen is a secondary control. The steering wheel is the primary control, because this is a sports car." And Norman admits that the steering wheel is his favorite part of the car. He says that when they developed the steering wheel they worked to have convex forms on the back so that there would be a tactile surface for the driver's fngers when gripping the wheel. He explains that other steering wheels often have a fat back because there are switch packs integrated into the structure. "We worked with the engineers for about a year on the wheel, millimeter by millimeter, until it was just perfect." He recalls: "Our LPL [large project leader] Ted Klaus came by my desk one night after he'd come back from a trip to Ohio." Raymond, Ohio, is the location of a Honda development center; Marysville, Ohio, is the site of the Performance Manufacturing Center, where the NSX will be built. "I handed him the wheel, and you should have seen the look on his face. He's a race car driver; he races on weekends. You could see how excited he was because the wheel is the primary input." Norman keeps a model of the steering wheel on his desk. Although the NSX is clearly a car of and for the 21st century, the interior still has materials that are characteristic of coaches from the 18th century. There are hand-stitched leather pads on the top of the instrument panel. There is suede on the IP lower. "We tried to add just enough fourish to make it feel inviting, so you want to be there, but not ostentatious." But why leather and not some more advanced material? He answers, simply, "There are some things that are timeless. They don't go out of style." He adds, "Sometimes, as designers, we think too much and try to be too conceptual. And so you can alienate people." So leather works. In addition to being a sports car, the NSX is also a luxury car. The price is likely to be somewhere in the vicinity of $150,000. Norman says that when someone isn't blasting around on a track, when they're sitting at a stop light, he'd like them to look across the cabin and think, "I've got the best I could." *OK. Once you're behind the wheel you're also rather concerned with what's powering the car, as in a twin-turbocharged V6 along with three- electric motors (one for the rear wheels; two for the front) that produces, according to Ted Klaus, who led the engineering development for the car "total system horsepower north of 550," but that's another story for another time. on technical conference registration AMERIMOLDEXPO.COM P R O M O C O D E : A D P PRESENTED BY: NEW THIS YEAR! CO-LOCATED WITH TOP 10 REASONS TO BE A MOLDMAKER Visit the MoldMaking Technology Booth and pick up your FREE "Top 10 Reasons to be a MoldMaker" t-shirt! 2015 LEADTIME LEADER AWARDS Join MoldMaking Technology magazine and Progressive Components, as we honor our 2015 Leadtime Leader Award winners! NETWORKING RECEPTION The casino-themed Amerimold Networking Reception is mold manufacturing's premier networking event! PRESENTED BY PRESENTED BY SPONSORED BY June 17-18, 2015 Rosemont, IL NETWORK! Participate in the Special Events at Amerimold to learn from the best, discover new technologies and connect with industry peers. BONUS OFFER: SAVE 25%